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Replay gives Indians their only hit vs. Dodgers

Bourn awarded infield single in third inning of eventual one-hit shutout

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Indians win challenge at first 1:55

6/30/14: An out call is challenged in the 3rd. After review the call is overturned, giving the Indians their only hit of the game

By Jordan Bastian
/
MLB.com |

LOS ANGELES -- Indians center fielder Michael Bourn could have been talking about how his team was no-hit by Dodgers starter Dan Haren on Monday night. Instead, thanks to an assist from Major League Baseball's new instant-replay system, Cleveland avoided that bit of history.

Call it the Overturned No-no.

"I've had so many bang-bang calls in my career," Bourn said after the Tribe's 1-0 loss at Dodger Stadium. "Now we've got replay and I'm happy about it."

The play in question developed when Bourn grounded a two-out pitch from Haren up the middle, where Los Angeles shortstop Miguel Rojas gloved the ball and fired it to first base. Bourn hit the bag a touch before the throw arrived, but first-base umpire Adrian Johnson called the speedster out.

Bourn immediately spun, looked toward the visitors' dugout at Dodger Stadium and motioned for Indians manager Terry Francona to challenge the ruling. Francona jogged to the field, got the thumbs up from bench-coach Brad Mills and, following a brief review, the ruling on the field was overturned.

At the time, the game was 0-0 and the Indians were hardly thinking about avoiding a no-hitter.

"I thought he was safe," Francona said. "We're just thinking it's a chance to win the game."

With the successful challenge, Cleveland's manager improved to 8-for-18 on challenges this season, but this one ultimately was rendered moot. After Bourn stole second base, putting a pair of runners in scoring position, Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera struck out to end the inning.

"From where I was, I thought he was safe," said Haren, who made 103 pitches in his seven innings but said he would have stayed in the game if the no-hitter had been intact. "I was feeling like I'd have to get the next guy out. But Rojas made a great play not letting the ball get out of the infield."

Bourn said he knew right away he was safe.

"Rarely have I been called safe when I've been out," Bourn said. "It's always been the other way. I kind of just had a feeling for it on that one. I just knew. I felt it when I touched the bag -- I knew I beat the ball. I know it was real bang-bang, but I've had a lot of those. I knew right away that I was safe."

That wound up being the lone hit of the evening for the Indians, who were also held to one hit by Mariners ace Felix Hernandez and closer Fernando Rodney in a 3-0 loss on Sunday in Seattle. It marked the first time in Cleveland franchise history that the club was limited to no more than one hit in consecutive games.

It represented the third such occurrence -- joining the 1996 Tigers and 1917 White Sox -- for an American League team, dating back to at least 1914.